Day 10

Oh YAY for double digits! (As if I had any doubt...) But NOT yay for feeling like I am busting out of my pants. I know I sit all day at work, but damn, I have to admit it is a little discouraging. Let me clarify that I am not doing this to lose weight, but it is a motivating factor. I just don't really understand how I could go from eating whatever I wanted to eating raw and NOT lose any weight. Just not possible. But not feeling it right now. I was in a funk last night and this morning. Sort of irritable but I played it off as being hungry, or whatever. Definitely not a high light. Some discouragement has been creeping in, very slowly and subtly, but I am trying very hard to squash it.

Right now, I am about to go for a 7 mile run. Just for the fun of it! Been eating well, but I just didn't find much joy in eating my salad today. I am looking forward to a BIG chocolate milkshake tonight after my run. I just need to get out and pound the pavement.

Menu:

Juice

3x apples

2x bananas

1/2 salad

1 lb strawberries

More juice

And later...chocolate milkshake

Sort of a blah day, but I hope this run turns things around for me. Not giving up!

        

Looking forward to trying out this recipe! Just need to find some dill, not something I normally keep around.

PS. Just ran 6.5 miles, I felt awesome the ENTIRE time!! I hardly broke a sweat, my legs felt strong and I wasn't exhausted at the end. It's all about the mind, so never limit your thinking!!

Day 9

I am so focused and driven right now! My mind has never been more clear and I am in awe of the power of raw foods! What an amazing 9 days and how much my life has changed for the better. Today I was up early and I went out to watch the super fit athletes compete in the triathalon near my house. Getting wrapped up in the excitement and being surround by so many other fit people is so much fun! I would someday like to compete in a triathalon, but I'm truthfully not a great swimmer. They have a kid/amateur event that I think would be a lot of fun. Maybe next year! And I would really like to get into cycling too! I watched the insanely fit guys cross the finish line in UNDER 2 hours. Swim 1.5 miles, bike 24 miles and run 6 miles. Crazy!!

This got me going so then I had to take a run for myself. It was mid day so hotter than when I normally run. I like getting drenched in sweat though, but I was glad I didn't have to run 6 miles, but I will next weekend! I def excited about it, I know I will feel good. There will be over 1000 participants in the 10k and my bestie Jen will be there to cheer me on.

What else? In just 9 days, my mood has stabilized and lifted. I feel content and satisfied in all aspects of my life. I feel I am on a high, and its smooth sailing. I am not discouraged and I don't allow any negative thoughts to cloud my mind. There is no room for that! 

I am feeling a LOT leaner in the middle. The big chub I have had for so long and thought would never go away is...going away! My stomach is noticeably flatter and my love handles are on their way out the door. Now time to relax with kitty, shower and read a book. Tonight is the first night of the new kickball season, we have two games to play. And tomorrow is back to work. I'm going to run Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs, and rest up Fri and Sat before the race on Sunday. 

Today was a smoothie day! So hot out, and these were refreshing and all I wanted to eat anyways.

2 bananas

Chocolate milkshake

Fruit smoothie with grapefruit juice
2 glasses juice

4 more bananas
Raw tacos

A light banana filled day, but just what I was needing.

Day 8

Day 8, wow! Today was SUCH a good day! Where to begin? I woke up around 7 AM to the sun streaming through my windows. I tried to roll over and sleep some more, but it wasn't possible. Being that it was Saturday morning, I decided to pack my book and walk to the morning market. I bought a big bowl of fresh fruit while I waited for it to open and read some on a bench in the park. This was also the miniature Triathalon, so it was fun to watch the bikers wizz past me. So much excitement! Once the market opened, I bought two bunches of beautiful organic sunflowers:

 

They look great in my kitchen!

My mom arrived around noon. My neighbor came over with her man friend to use my blender to make sangria, so the three of them enjoyed that at my place over good conversation. I wasn't even tempted to have it, it didn't look appealing. After that, mom and I walked around downtown along the water before heading to the raw restaurant in town, about a 2 mile walk. But the walk was so pleasant and passed a bunch of cute shops, including a vintage furniture one where I found the most perfect little coffee table that I had been looking for, and they are even going to paint it off-white shabby chic for me to match my apartment. So excited about that!

But on to the raw! Wow. All I can say! We both ordered an entree and split it. We also split a bowl of soup and a dessert. Not cheap, but definitely an experience I had to have. And my mom liked it too! I couldn't eat like that all the time, but I left still feeling really good, even though they used soy sauce and salt, which really exploded in my mouth and I didn't like it. Plus, it wasn't low fat, but it wasn't gourmet either, it was in the middle. A real treat!

Me, one week raw with raw Thai coconut soup!

Raw Tuscan pizza on walnut bread

Raw veggie burger complete with raw ketchup and mustard, this was by far my FAV! Look how beautifully it is displayed!

I'm cheesin' pretty hard here, how could I not?! :-)

 

Raw mango cobbler, I can't pass up a raw dessert!

I'm just so happy! And besides the fact that we walked about 6 miles today, my pants that were never loose AT ALL are really slinging low today. I won't weigh myself for another week, but I definitely feel leaner and more importantly, more energetic!! Tomorrow morning is the big Triathalon at 7 AM and I'm def going to get up and walk around, soak up the vibe and watch all the people compete. I love being around people who are fit and healthy, it rubs off on me.

Menu for today:

Fresh juice for breakfast
HUGE bowl of fresh fruit

1/2 raw soup, 1/2 raw burger, 1/2 raw pizza, 1/2 raw cobbler

Chocolate ice cream

Fruit smoothie

I'm feeling fabulous! My life is routine and stable and I am totally in my element. Now settling down to rest my legs and watch a movie and/or read some. See you all tomorrow!!!

Day 7

It was just one week ago but I feel like it's been a lot longer. And that is definitely a good thing! Last Friday night, I felt like getting drunk. I bought a 6-pack of Bud Light Platinum and walked to get sushi. I came back and ate alone and drank alone until I was drunk. Then I met up with my neighbors at a bar downtown. After that, I don't remember much. I think we went to a crowded bar and mingled with other inebriated people. I woke up feeling like shit. What a difference just a week can make! By shifting your thinking and taking control of your own life, you CAN start to love yourself again. I have absolutely NO pity or tolerance for people who are weak in body and spirit, don't stand up for themselves or blame other circumstances for their own miserable existence. I used to be like that. It's hard and uncomfortable to take control, but when you finally do, it's truly magical. Granted, its taken me 26 years to get this this point, but now I can conquer the world!

Another GREAT day! My run was a bit treacherous though. I run on a path that runs along the bay, lots of water and lots of green space. Today though, I almost got hooked by a fishing line and knocked over by a swinging net by some really oblivious, non-observant people. Good thing I'm fast. I was tempted to push those people into the water though, ha ha. I ran the long run, I need my legs to carry me through a 10k next Sunday. I just got home and just topped everything off with a delicious fruit smoothie. After I take a shower, I am going to walk to the grocery store and make tacos again tonight. I am feeling like a treat and I want to feel the vibe of downtown on a Friday night. I love just being in the middle of it, but not actually be partaking in it, if that makes any sense.

Among other things, another thing I love about eating raw is that it challenges me to be creative. Like for example, my friend wanted to go out to dinner to catch up. I didn't want to be awkward, so I asked if she'd rather take a picnic to the park and lay outside. She thought that was a great idea! I can bring fruit for both of us and we can catch up in the sunshine. It makes me feel like a kid again. Before life revolved around food and alcohol and you only had yourself to find ways to be entertained. It's quite nostalgic really.

On the menu:
Juice for breakfast
Apples x3
Bananas x6
1/2 salad, I just couldn't eat a lot of it today
Fruit smoothie, various fruit with strawberries, bananas and the juice of two grapefuit
Butter leaf lettuce, salsa and avocado
Chocolate ice cream

Tomorrow my momma is coming to visit and we are going to the saturday morning market and the raw restaurant. This weekend should also be exciting, I have a kickball game on Sunday and there is a huge Triathalon in the park that will be fun to watch!





 

PS. I feel slightly silly that the highlight of my night is eating my meal...this time instead of butter leaf I made boats out of romaine leaves! Check them out!

 

Absolute love. :) I used to never like avocado without loads of salt...take that all away, let your taste buds build up again and you will wonder why you ever did..

 

Trusty ingredients, nothing complicated!

 

Enjoying my lunch by the pond outside of my office building at work :)

Day 6

I feel that up until this point in my life I have been living a lie. I have been living a life heavily influenced by others. And I always wanted to please everyone around me and not upset anyone. Well, those times are gone! Ever since moving to my city of St. Petersburg, I have let the excitement of my new life distract me and lead me astray. I have finally made it on my own, being self-sufficient financially was all I ever wanted. Now I have a great job that I love, a city that I love, an apartment that I adore and all the friends I could ask for. For a few months straight, I spent a lot of time downtown, drinking at the bars, socializing, partying, eating out at all these restaurants that I thought were great. But deep down inside, I felt like I was get caught up in a lifestyle that didn't truly reflect who I was. I never even liked the taste of alcohol, and I hated waking up hungover and feeling like I was wasting my life. All the food I was eating was so processed and made me feel like shit. I just couldn't go on. I was content, but I wasn't truly happy.

And then something wonderful happened! Something inside of me snapped. And I knew change was eminent right then, right there. No turning back. I think it was an article about raw food in a hippie local magazine. On the cover, a pile of raw vegetables and a very fit man. The title read, "Raw Food Does a Body Good!" Inside, the man talked about being a bodybuilder but never feeling right about taking supplements and extra protein. He talked about how the effects of raw don't even start to take effect until AT LEAST a couple months. That made me realize I'd never really given raw food a fair chance. I wanted to feel as good as he talked about. And now I want to feel the best I've ever felt in my entire life. I am well on my way, now it's day 6. This is making me excited for day 30, 90, 300 and beyond!!

Okay, so that brings me to my run. Today was awesome, fantastic. I felt hungry all day at work though, I will need to increase my snacking abilities. Heh. Anywho, had to run errands after work, which I dislike. Too much traffic. But today was productive and I got everything done. Good feeling. I knew I wanted to stretch myself today with my run, I did the 4.5 mile run and I was feeling a little tired at the end, but by no means was I killing myself. I am running a 10k on May 6 so I've got reason to be motivated. Needlessto say, I'm not worried about it. :) I just feel so good when I'm running. All my thoughts are freeflowing, nothing is clouding my mind, my legs and breathing are in sync and I just zone out. Best feeling ever. I admit I have not always loved running. But when the weather is good, the scenery is beautiful and I feel light because I've eaten raw, everything comes together like magic and I can't get enough. I just wish other people could feel as good as I feel. I one million percent believe that food and diet are related to any and every ailment and pain we may come across. To my core. And I am living my beliefs RIGHT NOW!! I'm so estatic! I truly haven't felt this blissfully happy in a LONG time.

Now as for how I am feeling with my body, I do feel like I am tightening up around my middle. My legs have always been muscular and powerful and now they are even more so. I am starting to feel my hip bones more, but I've still got a major pooch. I just get so excited though, thinking about how I will look after a year of this when this has only been one week!!!

I would like to take the time to address snacking and meals to be eaten in social situations, which I believe is key to enjoying life as a LFRV.

First, snacking is paramount. I have learned to be prepared no matter what. Apples have seriously been my lifesaver. They can sit around all day, and I can snack on them like I would candy. They can really keep you going. That is the same for bananas, but they are less convenient in my opinion.

Second, I need to come up with creative and tasty meals that I can transport. I know my taco recipe would be fantastic for this. Pack up the salsa and avocado, and the butter leaves and you have yourself a meal to go. This can be taken to my mom's house for dinner (she might even want to partake and try them!) or to a friends house. This way you aren't left out of social situations that involve food. I know this can be a sore spot, especially since until now, my life revolved around eating out up to twice a day. I'm glad I don't do that anymore, but I am bracing for the predicament I will come upon when I am invited to dinner with friends. I need to come up with more ideas like this.

I also need to work on finding joy and creating habits that don't involve mindless eating. To find abundant and unwavering joy in the raw foods. To savor each bite and eat slowly. I will admit though, one of the reasons I love eating raw is because I get to eat A LOT. And I definitely like to eat. Hehe. And eating lots of good stuff, what could be better??? I can't think of anything.

On the menu for today:
Apples x3
Bananas x3
Loads of fresh juice
Finished off my salad from yesterday...I added fresh greens
Huuuuuuge chocolate milkshake. I froze a bunch of bananas last night, so I don't even know how many I ate tonight.

Also started reading again, a book that's been sitting on my shelf for a long while. This makes me feel good. Some rando pictures for yas!

Lots and lots o' bananas, I need more!!

Mmmmmmm!

 

The dreaded aftermath, dun dun dun.....

PS. Made a new raw friend, Chris Kendall over at The Raw Advantage. We are meeting up on Skype on May 1st to talk about being cool. I mean raw. I'm so excited to make a raw friend, even if just over the internet!

Day 5

I spent most of the day feeling chubby, not sure why. Maybe my pants were too tight. Maybe I just hate sitting at a desk all day. Once I got home though, I went for a run and immediately felt better. I pushed myself, which I haven't felt like doing in awhile. The last couple of days have been cold. It finally warmed up today and I think that influenced me. I would like to make a supplemental running log to go along with this to document my process, since that will go hand in hand with my success eating raw.

Thus far, I really have begun to reflect on my motivations for doing this. On the surface, its all superficial. I want to feel good and I want to look good. But on a deeper level that I don't always acknowledge because it's painful for me, everything I do is to make sure that MY life doesn't EVER contribute to the suffering of animals. That is all it has ever truly been about, and that's all it will EVER be about. I know it goes on, but occasionally when I reminded of the horrors that animals go through to end up as a nasty hamburger on your plate that you don't even eat all of, THAT is what motivates me to do this. It shakes me to my core and it brings to the surface and anger and anguish inside of me that will never go away. It's there, but I can't deal with it every day. Because I can't connect with anyone else on this level aside from two or three people. And who really likes to talk about that stuff anyways?

All I know is that I am leading a different life because I care to educate myself and make a stand against something I believe in. Not many people can say that.

Today's menu:
Juice again for breakfast. I stuffed myself to the brim with this.
Apples x2
Banana
Half my salad at work (I will eat the other half tomorrow)
1 pound strawberries
1 raw nut bar...I needed something grab on my way out the door
6 banana chocolate milkshake

And I think I'm gonna call it quites after that. It's only 7 PM but I'm going to make it last. I'm running dangerously low on frozen bananas. I've got a bunch that I need to freeze but I'm freaking out!

This week is "Employee Appreciation Day" at work. Today was a huge BBQ event, full of every unhealthy food in the book. I mean, I think they may be trying to kill us. They shove all this crap down everyone's throats, but they all love it I guess. Can you imagine sitting in a cube all day, smoking all day, drinking coffee all day and topping that off with hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, brownies, chips, soda pop and ice cream??? No wonder everyone is obese and disgusting here. I am really put off by all of that. Why would anyone choose to be that ignorant? I quietly took my lunch out of the fridge and snuck off to eat my salad and strawberries. At one point in my life I may have cared, but now I just think people are ignorant and stupid and I wouldn't give a crap what anyone thought about me because I know at the end of the day, I'm healthier, I live a better quality of life and I give a damn about my beliefs.

Sometimes I feel like I spend my whole live constantly moving, never stopping. I find peace in routine and consistency, but then I stop for a moment, and I also think how nice it is to just be still for a moment with my thoughts. I think that is also on the menu for tonight. :)

Sorry no pics, but it was all the same anyways.

  

PS. After an initial taste analysis between carob and cacao powder, I have deduced that cacao is much more chocolately and less bitter. I initially bought carob because I wasn't sure the cacao I had was raw. After a bit of research, I found out that Nativas Naturals Cacao Powder is indeed raw, so I couldn't refrain myself from buying 2lbs of it from Amazon. I think that should last me a good many milkshakes. Life is good. :)

Day 4

Another day of success. Still haven't been able to snack all morning like normal but I'm coping. I was craving fat today, in particular, avocado. I walked downtown to the grocery store with my trusty backpack. The bagger had mad packing skills so he was able to fit everything in and I walked home like I was on a hike. That made me very happy. All those bananas and apples! Hehe. Came home and made raw tacos for dinner, they were soooooooooooo yum. Especially since I was able to eat about 12 of them. Followed by raspberry sorbet for dessert. I feel so spoiled! I feel that when I am feeling less than optimistic, it helps to make something super creative and excites my senses and tantalizes my taste buds. I had to buy pre-made guacamole, which I really didn't want to. It had salt and spices, which overwhelmed me and just tasted salty. I wish I just had the plain avocado, but they didn't have any ripe ones. Menu for today:

Juice for breakfast
Apples x2
Banana
1 pound strawberries
1 chocolate milkshake (roughly 6 bananas)
12 raw tacos (salsa + avocado on butter leaves)
Raspberry sorbet (roughly 3 bananas)

You can check out my raw taco recipe under the Recipes tab. Definitely making those again!!

Why hello there!
Raw carob powder from Amazon arrived today!

The resulting carob chocolate milkshake. Yes please!

 

Yummmmmm!! Raw tacos!

 

12 tacos down :)

 

Lastly, a small bowl of raspberry sorbet. 

I'm stuffed!!

Day 3

Well day 3 went by successfully. I've tried to go raw many times before, but this time around it just seems a lot more simple...easy. I'm not sure if my desire is stronger or I have stronger willpower or what, but I have been feeling really good and pumped about everything. Today it got super cold here in FL, pretty drastically. Still going for my run, but definitely bundling up. Today was also my first day of work at a new law firm. It went well and I'm optimistic for the future. Being that today was training, I couldn't get away with much, so my snacking was non-existant. :(

On the menu for today was:
Downed all the juice I had made, that kept me full until mid morning
Lunch was hurried since I only took 30 minutes. From now on though, I need to have an hour. I can only chew so fast! I ate half my salad, half a pineapple and a pound of strawberries.
I was finally able to eat my apples on the way home.
Dinner was a vanilla strawberry milkshake. It was huge.

I know I need to get more calories in wherever and whenever I can. I will need to work on this. But I ate every free second I had today. I think the key to my success will be eliminating those tempting situations. My drive is very strong right now, so even if I had a bean burrito, or hummus or a loaf of bread in front of me, I wouldn't eat it. Just glad to be home now, run my little heart out and decompress. This is easy and I feel AWESOME!!!

 

9 banana strawberry milkshake for dinner :)

UPDATE: It's almost 10 PM and I got the munchies. I wanted a chocolate milkshake but then I wanted to eat broccoli. But then I wanted something to dip the broccoli in. So I delved into Chris Kendall's raw recipe book....I knew I would find something there!

 

And find I did.....

 

Broccoli dip with corn...pitted dates blended with celery. Very fullfilling but a little strange tasting.

I ended up making something very interesting....reminiscent of baby food. I blended half a stock of celery with several pitted dates. I was cautious. I wasn't sure what I was about to taste. And...........meeehhhhh, it was oooookay. Kind of weird tasting by itself, but with corn and broccoli it wasn't half bad. I could probably, maybe get used to it. It fullfilled the need for the time. I can't wait to get more creative. Ha ha. I definitely know my favorite raw food besides frozen bananas and pineapple would be guacamole. I could eat LOADS of that. Not low fat though. :( Sad.

Day 2

I faced some challenges today but in the end...I rocked it!! :) Today was superfabulous. My best girl Jen and I spent the day shopping...thrift store, Target, another thrift store, got our hair cut, then went and had some dinner downtown. I brought a bottle of juice I made last night, and I also bought two raw bars that I only ate because it was an emergency. High in fat, but necessary. Drank all the juice too. Was supposed to eat dinner at a raw restaurant tonight, but they were closed. :( I'll for sure have to go back. Ended up going to a conventional place where we sat outside and listened to live music. I actually was able to get a huge raw salad which was pretty nice. No cheese and no dressing. But it did have olives on it. So not ideal, but I think I did well considering how hungry I got and how badly I wanted to kill some pita bread and hummus!! Oh lordy, I will definitely miss the bread. But I won't miss the expensive and fattening drinks. I'm home now, unpacking the neat stuff I got, not to mention an egg crate and puffy mattress topper which I'm super excited about. Also enjoying an SUPER DELICIOUS banana chocolate milkshake, dang I could eat these all day long. I absolutely do not feel deprived and I love how I'm feeling and I love all the food I get to eat! I'm so pumped!

Thick, smooth, creamy, chocolately, made from frozen bananas and cacao powder, this tastes just like a chocolate milkshake! So good for you and so yummy!

Day 1

The first day went off without a hitch. Granted, I hardly left my apartment so I wasn't faced with too many challenges. Which was a good thing. I spent the day puttering around the house. When I got hungry, I got creative. So far, feeling really good! I can do this! What was on the menu for today? I started out with a frozen fruit smoothie, mixed fruit from Costco with the juice from grapefruits. A tangy treat. Then I made a huge bowl of berry ice cream. Followed by one pineapple. Followed by tomato and corn soup. And now I think my last meal is a banana chocolate milkshake.

OMG YUMMMMYY!! I was a reading through my new recipe book. I knew I wanted chocolate. What could be more simple than blending frozen bananas with raw carob powder and water??? This is SO freaking good! Making new and ridiculously simple things that are yummy make me even more excited about eating this way.

I am lucky because there is a 100% raw vegan restaurant in my town! I am going tomorrow for a MeetUp event, I've already scoped out their menu. It's not gourmet, but it's not LFVR either. I still have to try it. It will be a real treat! Plus, I'm going to meet other raw foodies. Some like minded people. :)

Here's some pix!

 

Berry ice cream! (Made with TWO ingredients!)

Tomato soup (Made with THREE ingredients!)

 

I juiced today to prepare for tomorrow. 

All the lovely juice, I could drink this all day!

 

And my last meal, banana chocolate milkshake, so yummy and so filling! (Also made with TWO ingredients! Simplicity is the spice of life!)

The First Post

This is the beginning. The beginning of a life transformation. I’ll attempt to not be dramatic, but I am really excited by all of this. I’m optimistic because I’m so tired of feeling awful after eating cooked food.  I’ve got be honest with myself. I’ve become a junk food vegan. I have a tummy I’d rather not even discuss. My skin could be clearer. My mind is cloudy.

This will be the ultimate test of inner strength and desire to succeed. I’ve spent too much time feeling awful about myself. Things need to change. This is the very first post.  This is where I will address all of the aspects of this year of eating only raw foods. But it won’t just be about food. I will also need to re-program the way I think and how I relax and socialize…basically every aspect of my life will need adjustments. Up until now, I would come home from work, walk downtown and find a place to eat dinner. The usuals: falafel, sushi or a burrito. I’d come home and kick back with a beer and watch a movie.

 I want to challenge myself further mentally. I don’t want to watch any TV. I want to see how I can find time in my life to do other things that are stimulating and enjoyable. More photography perhaps. Read the books that I’ve always wanted to read but convinced myself I didn’t have time to.  Find new and creative ways to prepare food in an appealing way that excites me. 

My socialize life will indefinitely be altered. I will no longer waste time with men or friends that I don’t care for. I won’t be dating and I will associate myself with more like-minded people. I will not be pressured to do something I don’t want to do.

I will also implement a physical exercise routine when I come back from my vacation in June. I will still be running everyday up until then and beyond. I won’t be burning time just to burn time. I want to reach a higher level of conscious awareness in order to find a deeper joy and passion for life. I will find contentment in physical activity, delicious whole foods and my thoughts.

This will be the biggest challenge of my life so far. When I do things, I am all or nothing. I can’t go halfway or make just an attempt. I’ve got so much to talk about. I am going to be completely honest in my thoughts and emotions. Partly because I want to look back and know I succeeded. And to remind me why I am doing this when I start to get frustrated and lose sight of my goals. 

1 year is a long time. The way I see, no one is going to hold a gun to my head and tell me to eat cooked foods. The longest I’ve ever eaten raw was 2 weeks. I have decided to go for a year because from the research I have done, the benefits of eating raw only begin to emerge after a couple of months of eating raw. I can’t start and then give up just when the detox phase is ending. 

My diet will consist of fruits and vegetables in their natural state only. I will not drink alcohol. I will not be taking any supplments, vitamins or pills. I may take B12 tablets depending on how I am feeling. Nothing can be heated, processed or altered. To read more about eating this way, please check out the Why Raw? page. 

I would like for this challenge to make me more athletic and muscular. The end result being the Gold Coast Marathon 2013 in Australia. This is something I have always wanted to do! I cannot think of a more fabulous life changing goal!

Right now, I feel fat. Just fat. I’ve stayed consistently at 155lbs for years. But I’ve got all this fat around my stomach area, I really can’t stand it. So what do I need to do? Something about it. My skin is okay, not great. Could be better. I get into really bad anxiety / OCD fits and I am hoping I can find a way to prevent and deal with them. My sleep is not bad. I’ve been waking up consistently at 7 AM each morning with the alarm clock. I like to go to bed around 10 or 11. Only needing 5 hours of sleep would be ideal. I feel sluggish and tired a lot of the time. I can run 3 miles fairly easily, but I know I am far from being fit. I’d like to gain muscles in my arms and leave behind the layer of backfat. I would like to eventually ease into somewhere around 130, which I feel would be ideal. I would also like to experience a high level of mental clarity. 

That said, you can expect me to be completely honest and forthcoming in my feelings about all of this. I know I am going to be frustrated and want to quit. I might even miss out on doing things but I am determined to fully integrate this lifestyle into my modern world. I KNOW it will be worth it.